COLUMBUS, Ohio -- At one crucial point Sunday at Nationwide Arena, an insurance salesman could have been more effective than Ryan O'Reilly, the Avalanche's new $10 million man. A claim for no-fault insurance was in order.

Eleven seconds into his first penalty-killing opportunity of the season, O'Reilly accidentally redirected the puck into his own net, erasing a Colorado lead and leading to the Columbus Blue Jackets' 2-1 overtime victory in O'Reilly's season debut.

Opponents of O'Reilly's recent holdout and two-year, $10 million contract designed by the Calgary Flames probably smiled about the scenario. But O'Reilly's coach and teammates weren't pointing fingers and last season's leading Avs scorer was probably beating himself up too much about scoring on the wrong net.

Goalie Semyon Varlamov (32 saves) was one of the few Avalanche players who played well.

"Bad play by me there. I've got to be strong on my stick and get it out of there," O'Reilly said after his first NHL game in about nine months. "If I do that, we probably win that game."

Fact is, the backdoor pass by Vinny Prospal on Columbus' 5-on-3 power play may have been slammed in by one of two Blue Jackets in front of Varlamov's right post. As it was, O'Reilly got a piece of the puck in the passing lane, where he's supposed to be, and bad luck met bad timing and Prospal tied the score at 1-1.

The Blue Jackets won it 2:26 into overtime, when center Artem Anisimov scored on a 4-on-3 power play. The Avs' P.A.

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Parenteau, who scored midway through the second period, was called for hooking 42 seconds into OT. Columbus was 2-of-5 on the power play and outshot the Avs 34-19.

Parenteau didn't agree with his penalty and Matt Duchene and the Avs' coaching staff were bewildered about Duchene's hook that led to Prospal's goal. Duchene was on the penalty kill when he gained possession and attacked the Blue Jackets' zone, ultimately gettingoutnumbered 3-to-1 and being tangled with Fedor Tyutin.

"I don't think there's much I can say here without getting fined," Duchene said. "Very rare in a one-goal game you see a call made deep in the offensive zone for us. Usually you have to high stick 'em or something. I was working hard, and maybe I got my stick in there a little bit, but it was a hooking call and I had one hand on my stick. I was surprised."

Avs coach Joe Sacco, whose team has earned a point in its last four games and in six of its last seven, said: "(Duchene) makes a strong effort to get down and got a strong opportunity, and it looked like they were both battling for the puck. That changes the whole momentum of the game right there. We're on our way to a 1-0, possibly 2-0 game for us. I thought it was a questionable call."

Sacco didn't have an issue with the penalty on Parenteau, who trailed R.J. Umberger into the Avalanche zone and tried to lift his stick from behind.

"We shouldn't leave it up to the referees to put us in that position," Sacco said. "We weren't skating as well as we have been. We didn't have jump. We didn't go in on the forecheck hard. Can't leave it in the referees' hands. We should have put it in our own hands."

The Avs continue their trip Tuesday at Detroit before going to Chicago to play the Blackhawks (19-0-3) on Wednesday.

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